Brussels to Honor Moroccan Couple Slain in 2002 Hate Crime with Street Renaming

According to the newspaper La Dernière Heure: "On Wednesday evening, the Schaerbeek municipal council gave the green light to the tribute that would be paid to the Schaerbeek couple murdered by a racist neighbor, reports Bruzz. The Vanderlinden street should therefore soon be called the Habiba-Ahmed street, the first names of the victims." Schaerbeek is one of the 19 bilingual municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region in Belgium.

These two Moroccans were killed on the night of May 7, 2002 by an extreme right-wing activist named Hendrick Vyt. He was then 79 years old. Breaking into his neighbors’ apartment, he begins to shoot, killing the parents on the spot, and seriously injuring two of their sons, while their daughter, Kenza, manages to escape.

The latter wrote on Facebook: "The racist murder of my parents must be a lesson to be learned. I hope this tragedy will resonate in the hearts and minds of all. This tragedy must constantly remind us that we are not immune to May 7, 2002".

With the municipality having officially accepted, the approval of the Royal Commission on Toponymy remains. If this is obtained, there will be a referendum in the part of the street concerned by the name change. 60% of the residents will have to vote, and 60% of the voters will have to agree.